Villagers oppose plans for 141-acre solar farm
‘It’s going to be an eyesore, it’s on a hill, it’s going to be huge’
PLANS for a solar farm the size of 140 football pitches have been proposed for a small North Staffordshire village.
However residents have raised concerns over the potential development.
The 141-acre site is located on the edge of Stoke-on-trent on Rownall Road, in Wetley Rocks. The solar farm is set to generate 49.99 megawatts of electricity which means development consent from the government is not required for the project.
Julia Podmore, who is campaigning against the development, says that the campaign group are not NIMBYS, as many of its members have solar panels, but the proposed site is not the right place for the development.
She said: “It’s going to be an eyesore, it’s on a hill, it’s going to be huge. You don’t have to research much about solar panel farms to know that this isn’t what you should be doing with them.
“This is not a good use of farmland, this is good farmland and we have as much of a food crisis as we do an energy crisis.
“In addition to that, they are very noisy and I have horses situated right opposite this proposed solar panel farm. So this is a huge worry for me as to what I’m going to do with them because they’re not going to be able to stay there with the noise that’s generated from this.”
However the developers have said that with the decommissioning of coal fired stations there is an urgent need to replace the generators. Over the 40-year lifetime of the project it is expected to offset 799,800 tonnes of CO2.
A Rownall resident for 42 years, Ian Podmore said he would like the planning committee to rule the development ‘wholly inappropriate.’ He said: “It’s 170 acres, which is enormous and if you add to it the four or five battery storage units it’s probably 350 acres of farmland that has previously been very successfully growing winter wheat.
“It leaves a very, very bad smell in the area and we feel we’re not NIMBYS because we do believe in sustainable energy but it makes you wonder why it is happening in the greenbelt.”
Planning statement states: “The economic benefits of the scheme include an approximate economic output of around £1,000,000 GVA over 14 months, £165,086 business rates generated per annum to the council, and significant spin off benefits for the supply chain with gross value added (GVA) far in excess of £1 million.
“The proposed scheme would provide a significant amount of decentralised electricity to the area and support the transition to electric vehicles and heating. It would also help to reduce the UK’S reliance on imported fossil fuels and help the UK gain more control over its energy provision and energy security, helping to stabilise domestic fuel bills.”
This is good farmland and we have as much of a food crisis as we do an energy crisis
Julia Podmore, of Wetley Rocks